Concrete Block Beveled Core Edge Stripping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Concrete blocks with core openings often exhibit feathering, a ridge of concrete left around the edges after stripping from the mold, which interferes with their ability to lay flat when stacked, and existing methods like rotating brushes are inadequate in removing this feathering, especially along edges perpendicular to the brush's axis.
Innovation Solution
The formation of beveled edges around core openings in concrete blocks, achieved through the use of a stripper shoe with a beveled ridge during the molding process, minimizes feathering and shifts any residual feathering away from the bottom surface, allowing the blocks to stack properly without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If core openings are formed in concrete blocks to reduce weight and material usage, then the block becomes lighter and more cost-effective, but feathering occurs around the core opening edges which interferes with proper stacking
Solution Approach 1:
A beveled ridge is formed on the stripper shoe before the concrete block is stripped from the mold. This preliminary beveling action prevents feathering from forming on the bottom surface of the block during the stripping process, eliminating the need for subsequent feathering removal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The beveled ridge on the stripper shoe acts as an intermediary element between the mold and the concrete block. It modifies the interface interaction during stripping to prevent feathering formation, transferring the potential feathering to the stripper shoe instead of the block.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If a rotating brush is used to remove feathering after block stripping, then some feathering can be removed, but feathering along edges perpendicular to the brush axis remains ineffective
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of attempting to remove feathering after it forms, the beveled ridge on the stripper shoe prevents feathering from forming in the first place on the bottom surface of the block. This preliminary prevention ensures reliable elimination of stacking interference without relying on post-processing brush effectiveness.
3Ease of manufacture
If feathering is left on the bottom surface of blocks, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the blocks cannot lay flat when stacked in walls
Solution Approach 1:
The beveled ridge is incorporated into the stripper shoe design, allowing feathering prevention to occur automatically during the normal stripping process. This maintains manufacturing simplicity while ensuring stacking quality, as the bevel is formed during block production rather than requiring separate operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and equipment for forming beveled edge(s) around the core opening in a concrete block are disclosed. The formation of the beveled edge(s) minimizes feathering along the block edges that are beveled as the block is stripped from a mold. Any feathering that does occur is shifted away from the bottom surface of the block to allow the block to lay flat on other blocks when dry stacked in a wall.